Identidad Madidi
MONTANE SAVANNAS AND GALLERY FORESTS

The grasslands of Apolo are irregularly distributed in patches between 1,000 and 2,500 meters above sea level, covering approximately 545 km2. The dominant vegetation is composed of herbaceous species, particularly graminoid grasses (Poaceae and Cyperaceae), but it also harbors shrubs and small trees.

These grasslands are poorly known and it is unclear to what extent their origins are natural or from human intervention. Pasture areas have been traditionally burnt which closer to towns has resulted in a degraded habitat. Nevertheless, it is also clear that natural grasslands occurred in at least small patches on escarpment ridges and sandstone plateaus, reflected by the presence of endemic plant and animal species in the region.

At the bottom of valleys small fingers of semi-deciduous gallery forest occur in a fragmented matrix. The combination of gallery forest and grasslands in a varied topography provides a unique landscape that appears similar to the Cerrado ecoregion.